Improved seal-lock



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVARD MOLEAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED SEAL-LOCK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,539, dated August 28, 1866.

To all Whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVARD MOLEAN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Applying Seals to Looks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a padlock having my invention applied to it; Fig. 2, an internal view of the same; Fig. 3, a detached View of the front plate of the lock-case with the clamp thrown open; Fig. 4, a vertical section of the same, taken in the line mm, Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a detached View of a punctured seal.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved manner of applying seals to locks for the purpose of showing or giving indication when a lock has been tampered with or attempts made to pick it.

The invention consists in securing the seal to the lock over the key-hole by means of a clamp, which is locked by mechanism connected with the working or operating parts of the lock in such a manner that the clamp cannot be released and the seal removed without unlocking the lock. Hence if a person ruptures or breaks the seal with aview of picking the lock, he cannot, after an unsuccessful effort to effect that result, remove the ruptured seal and replace it by a new one.

My invention is applicable to all kinds of looks, more especially those which are selflocking, commonly termed springlocks; but, in this instance, it is shown applied to a look originally patented by me February 5, 1861.

A represents a padlock, B being the bow or shackle, and O the key-hole, which, in this instance, is of circular form to receive a circular key provided with projecting bits or pins to act upon the tumblers and turn the cylinder D, to which the bolt E is attached. This bolt engages with the bow or shackle, and secures the latter in the lock case. This locking mechanism was patented by me, as previously alluded to, and therefore does not require a minute description besides my within-described improvement may be applied to other kinds of locks.

F represents what I term a clamp, the same being composed of a metal plate connected at its upper end to the front of the lock-case above the key-hole'by a hinge or joint, a, and having a spring, I), secured to its inner side near the hinge or joint to throw the clamp open or outward when not locked or secured in a closed state. This clamp when closed fits within raised flanges c on the front of the case, the flanges forming a box to re eeive it. The clamp F has a circular opening, f, made in it corresponding in dimensions to the key-hole C, and to the inner side of the clamp there are secured two pins or spurs, g 9, one above and the other below the hole or opening f, and these pins, when the clamp is closed, fit in holes h in the front of the lockcase, as shown clearly in Fig. 4.

From the inner side of the lower part of the clamp F there projects a hook, i, which, when the clamp is closed, passes into an opening, j, in the front of the lock-case, so that a bit or projection, is, on the cylinder D may engage with the hook and lock the clamp or secure it in a closed state, as shown in Fig. 4.

In order, therefore, to unlock this clamp it will be seen that the lock itself must be unlocked, as the projection 70, which engages with the hook i of the clamp, is attached to the cylinder D, to which the bolt E is attached.

The projection it engages with the llOOk'i when the bow or shackle is forced into the lock-case.

G represents a seal, which may be of paper or any other thin fabric or material which may be readily punctured. This seal is cut of such a size that it may be fitted within the box formed by the flanges c, and when the clamp F is closed the pins or spurs g 9 pass through the seal into the holes h in the front of the lock-case and secure the seal in position.

From the above description it will be seen that the seal G is secured over the key-hole O of the lock, and a person in endeavoring to open the look by picking or otherwise must rupture or break the seal G, and the ruptured in the locking of the clamp, which secures the seal over the key-hole by mechanism connected with the bolt of the look, so that the clamp cannot be unlocked to applya new seal without unlocking the lock itself.

I would remark that the box formed by the .flanges 0 is covered by a pivoted plate, H,

which maybe readily turned down to expose the clamp F when the lock is to be unlocked and I would further remark that the person whose duty it is to lock up'articles or valuables must always, of course, place a new seal over the key-hole, and lock the clamp over it in locking the lock.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A lock whose bolt has two catches which simultaneously engage wi th or disengage from the hasp and from the seal-cover so that a seal cannot be removed from the look without unlocking the same, substantially as described.

WARD McLEAN.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MCNAMARA, ALEX. F. BoBERTs. 

